ther　had　been　subjected　to　this　extraordinary　treatment；　but　I　must　add　that　my　schoolmate　drew　a　bow　of　remarkable　length；　strength；　and　toughness　for　his　tender　years。
  One　of　the　most　curious　examples　of　the　fallacy　of　popular　belief　and　the　uncertainty　of　asserted　facts　in　medical　experience　is　to　be　found　in　the　history　of　the　UNGUENTUM　ARMARIUM；　or　WEAPON　OINTMENT。
  Fabricius　Hildanus；　whose　name　is　familiar　to　every　surgical　scholar；　and　Lord　Bacon；　who　frequently　dipped　a　little　into　medicine；　are　my　principal　authorities　for　the　few　circumstances　I　shall　mention　regarding　it。　　The　Weapon　Ointment　was　a　preparation　used　for　the　healing　of　wounds；　but　instead　of　its　being　applied　to　them；　the　injured　part　was　washed　and　bandaged；　and　the　weapon　with　which　the　wound　was　inflicted　was　carefully　anointed　with　the　unguent。　　Empirics；　ignorant　barbers；　and　men　of　that　sort；　are　said　to　have　especially　employed　it。　　Still　there　were　not　wanting　some　among　the　more　respectable　members　of　the　medical　profession　who　supported　its　claims。　　The　composition　of　this　ointment　was　complicated；　in　the　different　formulae　given　by　different　authorities；　but　some　substances　addressed　to　the　imagination；　rather　than　the　wound　or　weapon；　entered　into　all。　　Such　were　portions　of　mummy；　of　human　blood；　and　of　moss　from　the　skull　of　a　thief　hung　in　chains。
  Hildanus　was　a　wise　and　learned　man；　one　of　the　best　surgeons　of　his　time。　　He　was　fully　aware　that　a　part　of　the　real　secret　of　the　Unguentum　Armarium　consisted　in　the　washing　and　bandaging　the　wound　and　then　letting　it　alone。　　But　he　could　not　resist　the　solemn　assertions　respecting　its　efficacy；　he　gave　way　before　the　outcry　of　facts；　and　therefore；　instead　of　denying　all　their　pretensions；　he　admitted　and　tried　to　account　for　them　upon　supernatural　grounds。　　As　the　virtue　of　those　applications；　he　says；　which　are　made　to　the　weapon　cannot　reach　the　wound；　and　as　they　can　produce　no　effect　without　contact；　it　follows；　of　necessity；　that　the　Devil　must　have　a　hand　in　the　business；　and　as　he　is　by　far　the　most　long　headed　and　experienced　of　practitioners；　he　cannot　find　this　a　matter　of　any　great　difficulty。　　Hildanus　himself　reports；　in　detail；　the　case　of　a　lady　who　had　received　a　moderate　wound；　for　which　the　Unguentum　Armarium　was　employed　without　the　slightest　use。　　Yet　instead　of　receiving　this　flat　case　of　failure　as　any　evidence　against　the　remedy；　he　accounts　for　its　not　succeeding　by　the　devout　character　of　the　lady；　and　her　freedom　from　that　superstitious　and　over…　imaginative　tendency　which　the　Devil　requires　in　those　who　are　to　be　benefited　by　his　devices。
  Lord　Bacon　speaks　of　the　Weapon　Ointment；　in　his　Natural　History；　as　having　in　its　favor　the　testimony　of　men　of　credit；　though；　in　his　own　language；　he　himself　〃as　yet　is　not　fully　inclined　to　believe　it。〃　　His　remarks　upon　the　asserted　facts　respecting　it　show　a　mixture　of　wise　suspicion　and　partial　belief。　　He　does　not　like　the　precise　directions　given　as　to　the　circumstances　under　which　the　animals　from　which　some　of　the　materials　were　obtained　were　to　be　killed；　for　he　thought　it　looked　like　a　provision　for　an　excuse　in　case　of　failure；　by　laying　the　fault　to　the　omission　of　some　of　these　circumstances。　　But　he　likes　well　that　〃they　do　not　observe　the　confecting　of　the　Ointment　under　any　certain　constellation；　which　is　commonly　the　excuse　of　magical　medicines；　when　they　fail；　that　they　were　not　made　under　a　fit　figure　of　heaven。〃　＇This　was　a　mistake；　however；　since　the　two　recipes　given　by　Hildanus　are　both　very　explicit　as　to　the　aspect　of　the　heavens　required　for　different　stages　of　the　process。＇　　〃It　was　pretended　that　if　the　offending　weapon　could　not　be　had；　it　would　serve　the　purpose　to　anoint　a　wooden　one　made　like　it。　　〃This；〃　says　Bacon；　〃I　should　doubt　to　be　a　device　to　keep　this　strange　form　of　cure　in　request　and　use；　because　many　times　you　cannot　come　by　the　weapon　itself。〃　　And　in　closing　his　remarks　on　the　statements　of　the　advocates　of　the　ointment；　he　says；　〃Lastly；　it　will　cure　a　beast　as　well　as　a　man；　which　I　like　best　of　all　the　rest；　because　it　subjecteth　the　matter　to　an　easy　trial。〃　　It　is　worth　remembering；　that　more　than　two　hundred　years　ago；　when　an　absurd　and　fantastic　remedy　was　asserted　to　possess　wonderful　power；　and　when　sensible　persons　ascribed　its　pretended　influence　to　imagination；　it　was　boldly　answered　that　the　cure　took　place　when　the　wounded　party　did　not　know　of　the　application　made　to　the　weapon；　and　even　when　a　brute　animal　was　the　subject　of　the　experiment；　and　that　this　assertion；　he　as　we　all　know　it　was；　came　in　such　a　shape　as　to　shake　the　incredulity　of　the　keenest　thinker　of　his　time。　　The　very　same　assertion　has　been　since　repeated　in　favor　of　Perkinism；　and；　since　that；　of　Homoeopathy。
  The　same　essential　idea　as　that　of　the　Weapon　Ointment　reproduced　itself　in　the　still　more　famous　SYMPATHETIC　POWDER。　　This　Powder　was　said　to　have　the　faculty；　if　applied　to　the　blood…stained　garments　of　a　wounded　person；　to　cure　his　injuries；　even　though　he　were　at　a　great　distance　at　the　time。　　A　friar；　returning　from　the　East；　brought　the　recipe　to　Europe　somewhat　before　the　middle　of　the　seventeenth　century。　　The　Grand　Duke　of　Florence；　in　which　city　the　friar　was　residing；　heard　of　his　cures；　and　tried；　but　without　success；　to　obtain　his　secret。　　Sir　Kenehn　Digby；　an　Englishman　well　known　to　fame；　was　fortunate　enough　to　do　him　a　favor；　which　wrought　upon　his　feelings　and　induced　him　to　impart　to　his　benefactor　the　composition　of　his　extraordinary　Powder。　　This　English　knight　was　at　different　periods　of　his　life　an　admiral；　a　theologian；　a　critic；　a　metaphysician；　a　politician；　and　a　disciple　of　Alchemy。　　As　is　not　unfrequent　with　versatile　and　inflammable　people；　he　caught　fire　at　the　first　spark　of　a　new　medical　discovery；　and　no　sooner　got　home　to　England　than　he　began　to　spread　the　conflagration。
  An　opportunity　soon　offered　itself　to　try　the　powers　of　the　famous　powder。　　Mr。　J。　Howell；　having　been　wounded　in　endeavoring　to　part　two　of　his　friends　who　were　fighting　a　duel；　submitted　himself　to　a　trial　of　the　Sympathetic　Powder。　　Four　days　after　he　received　his　wounds；　Sir　Kenehn　dipped　one　of　Mr。　Howell's　gaiters　in　a　solution　of　the　Powder；　and　immediately；　it　is　said；　the　wounds；　which　were　very　painful；　grew　easy；　although　the　patient；　who　was　conversing　in　a　corner　of　the　chamber；　had　not；　the　least　idea　of　what　was　doing　with　his　garter。　　He　then　returned　home；　leaving　his　garter　in　the　hands　of　Sir　Kenelm；　who　had　hung　it　up　to　dry；　when　Mr。　Howell　sent　his　servant　in　a　great　hurry　to　tell　him　that　his　wounds　were　paining　him　horribly；　the　garter　was　therefore　replaced　in　the　solution　of　the　Powder；　and　the　patient　got　well　after　five　or　six　days　of　its　continued　immersion。〃
  King　James　First；　his　son　Charles　the　First；　the　Duke　of　Buckingham；　then　prime　minister；　and　all　the　principal　personages　of　the　time；　were　cognizant　of　this　fact；　and　James　himself；　being　curious　to　know　the　secret　of　this　remedy；　asked　it　of　Sir　Kenelm；　who　revealed　it　to　him；　and　his　Majesty　had　the　opportunity　of　making　several　trials　of　its　efficacy；　which　all　succeeded　in　a　surprising　manner。〃　＇Dict。　des　Sciences　Medieales。＇
  The　king's　physician；　Dr。　Mayerne；　was　made　master　of　the　secret；　which　he　carried　to　France　and　communicated　to　the　Duke　of　Mayenne；　who　performed　many　cures　by　means　of　it；　and　taught　it　to　his　surgeon；　who；　after　the　Duke's　death；　sold　it　to　many　distinguished　persons；　by　whose　agency　it　soon　ceased　to　be　a　secret。　　What　was　this　wonderful　substance　which　so　astonished　kings；　princes；　dukes；　knights；　and　doctors？　　Nothing　but　powdered　blue　vitriol。　　But　it　was　made　to　undergo　several　processes　that　conferred　on　it　extraordinary　virtues。　　Twice　or　thrice　it　was　to　be　dissolved；　filtered；　and　crystallized。　　The　crystals　were　to　be　laid　in　the　sun　during　the　months　of　June；　July；　and　August；　taking　care　to　turn　them　carefully　that　all　should　be　exposed。　　Then　they　were　to　be　powdered；　triturated；　and　again　exposed　to　the　sun；　again　reduced　to　a　very　fine　powder；　and　secured　in　a　vessel；　while　hot；　from　the　sunshine。　If　there　seem　anything　remarkable　in　the　fact　of　such　astonishing　properties　being　developed　by　this　process；　it　must　be　from　our　short…sightedness；　for　common　salt　and　charcoal　develop　powers　quite　as　marvellous　after　a　certain　number　of　thumps；　stirs；　and　shakes；　from　the　hands　of　modern　workers　of　miracles。　　In　fact　the　Unguentum　Armarium　and　Sympathetic　Powder　resemble　some　more　recent　prescriptions；　the　latter　consisting　in　an　infinite　dilution　of　the　common　dose　in　which　remedies　are　given；　and　the　two　former　in　an　infinite　dilution　of　the　common　distance　at　which　they　are　applied。
  Whether　philosophers；　and　more　especially　metaphysicians；　have　any　peculiar　tendency　to　dabble　in　drugs　and　dose　themselves　with　physic；　is　a　question　which　might　suggest　itself　to　the　reader　of　their　biographies。
  When　Bishop　Berkeley　visited　the　illustrious　Malebranche　at　Paris；　he　found　him　in　his　cell；　cooking　in　a　small　pipkin　a　medicine　for　an　inflammation　of　the　lungs；　from　which　he　was　suffering；　and　the　disease；　being　unfortunately　aggravated　by　the　veheme